Snow Days 2013: Region slowly returning to usual on Friday (updated)

Update3:30 p.m. - It appears the snow has finally stopped. More patches of blue sky can be seen.

But it's still freezing outside. The temperature is 32 degrees.

3:15 p.m. - Although emergency shelters weren't utilized because of last night's snow, there still was a notable increase in people staying at the Gospel Rescue Mission, 1050 W. Amador Ave.

LuAnne Burke, Gospel Rescue Mission community outreach assistant, said 80 people stayed at the mission last night. That's slightly more than 56 percent of the 142-bed capacity at the mission.

Staying at the mission last night were seven women, one child, and 72 men. With temperatures expected to plunge into the 20s tonight, more people are expected to stay at the mission.

"There's probably going to be more people here," Burke said.

The mission is open 24 hours a day,. Three meals a day are offered to people who need them whether they stay at the mission or not. Breakfast is served at 6 a.m., lunch at 11:45 a.m. and dinner at 5:15 p.m.

Donations to help mission operations are needed. Burke said there is a specific need for blankets.

"We reached a point where we ran out of blankets and suggested to people asking for them that they consider putting hot water into plastic water bottles and use that to help heat what they were using to keep warm at night," Burke said. "Families need blankets."

For Christmas, the mission was able to provide toys to 789 children, and 70 food boxes to down-on-their-luck families.

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"It was incredible," Burke said. "Each child received a gift that was worth about $12. "Families had the choice of a large gift or a food box. The food boxes went right away because families were more interested in food than gifts."

If you're interested in donating, call the Gospel Rescue Mission at (575) 523-7727.

But clearing has started. Although it's snowing, patches of blue sky can be seen to the west of Las Cruces.

Roads continue to be wet, and icy in few spots - especially along highways leading in and out of Las Cruces. Although there was a vehicle rollover last night, without significant injuries, no other major weather-related incidents have been reported to Las Cruces police.

Snowfall estimates since late morning Thursday indicate that two to 2.5 inches has fallen. At White Sands Missile Range, an estimated three inches fell there.

Noon - Here's the latest southern New Mexico road conditions, from the New Mexico Department of Transportation. These routes are snow packed and icy, with slick roadways.

Difficult driving conditions:

- Interstate 10: Texas state line to Arizona state line is opne with wet slick roadways.

- New Mexico 159, near Mogollon: Roads are icy in spots. Please reduce speed and use extreme caution.

- Silver City area: NM-15; NM-35 and NM-152 are snow packed and icy in spots, proceed with caution.

Please note that all state routes and secondary roadways for Dona Ana, Luna and Grant counties are reporting difficult driving conditions. The NMDOT encourages motorists to travel with caution.

Updates will be posted on www.nmraods.com and can be retrieved by calling 511 or (800) 432-4269.

11:35 a.m. - The National Weather Service, in Santa Teresa, says clearing should begin this afternoon and tonight should be mostly clear. But with that said, they've also just Tweeted that motorists should watch out for patchy fog in some areas, with reduced visibilities from one to three miles because of light snow.

The weather system responsible for our snow has moved to the East, so all we can now expect is light snowfall that should be diminishing within the next few hours. But, if you're still hankering for the snow there's a 10-percent chance of rain or snow in Tuesday's forecast. This weekend looks noticeably better, with clear skies tomorrow, and partly cloudy skies Sunday and Monday.

But daytime temperatures will still be below normal. Today is still going to be pretty frosty, and temperatures probably aren't going to get out of the 30s. With clearing supposed to begin, tonight could get downright frigid. Overnight temperatures are supposed to drop to the low 20s, but it could be just a touch warmer if the remaining snowfall acts like a "blanket" and can insulate.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation reported that no shelters had to be set up overnight. Some motorists pulled off the side of the road and waited out road closures because of the snow.

LAS CRUCES — If you're reading this, you're late!

If you were supposed to report today for jury duty at Doña Ana County Magistrate Court, you were supposed to report at 10:30 a.m. It's past that now, so...

Otherwise, Las Cruces, southern New Mexico and far west Texas is slowly returning to typical operations after a winter storm blanketed the region with snow that still continues to lightly fall, as of 10:30 a.m. Las Cruces streets are clear and passable. Highways and other roads are coming back online, but law enforcement and the New Mexico Department of Transportation is still strongly urging motorists to be cautious.

In essence, the old "Hill Street Blues" slogan applies here: "Let's Be Careful Out There!"

Conditions and status, as of 11 a.m. includes:

Interstate 10: All eastbound and westbound lanes are open to all vehicles.

U.S. Highway 70: Only the eastbound lanes through Dona Ana County are open.

White Sands Missile Range: Initially, it was on a delayed 10 a.m. opening. But the range and main post have been closed today, to protect the safety of WSMR employees who would have to make the commute there today.

Local governments: All had delayed starts at 10 a.m. They are all open for business.

Check back throughout the day. We'll keep you posted on any changes and the latest weather conditions. If you photos, as we asked for yesterday, please send them to photos@lcsun-news.com, or tag us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Steve Ramirez can be reached at 575-541-5452. Follow him on Twitter @SteveRamirez6

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